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9-year-old arrested for waving toy gun [arrested at gunpoint and handcuffed]
The Morning Journal ^
| 10-28-03
| The Morning Journal
Posted on 10/28/2003 11:28:38 PM PST by ambrose
9-year-old arrested for waving toy gun
|
MICHAEL C. FITZPATRICK , Morning Journal Writer |
10/28/2003 |
|
LORAIN -- A 9-year-old boy was arrested at gunpoint and handcuffed Saturday because he was waving a toy gun over his head while seated on a bench outside a store, according to a Lorain police report.
His mother, Tamyka Saunders of Sheffield Lake, said her son, Thomas Clark Jr., told Lorain police when they approached him outside a Broadway business that the gun was a toy. An officer aimed his weapon at the boy's head, ordered him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him for juvenile delinquency by reason of inducing panic, according to the police report.
Saunders, 28, was also charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest when she pleaded with police not to arrest her son and to give him a warning, according to a police report.
''He doesn't deserve this. He is not a bad kid at all. That's what I was trying to explain to the officer. It's just not fair,'' Saunders said.
Saunders was getting her hair done at the Northern Institute of Cosmetology on Broadway near Seventh Street when the incident began.
Saunders said she and her son were spending the day together . Saunders said her son got his hair cut first, and then he went outside to play while waiting on her.
A passer-by who saw the boy playing just before noon with a gun -- described by police as a black plastic toy gun -- called police, who responded to the scene and found the boy ''waving what appeared to be a black handgun above his head,'' according to a police report. The report said the gun was spray painted black and resembled a genuine gun.
At that point, Officer Joe Novosielski confronted the boy at gunpoint, ordering him to drop the gun and then lie on the ground, the report said.
Thomas, who his mother said has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, said he was frightened by the incident.
Lorain police said Novosielski handled the situation properly.
''Obviously, someone got scared and called the police. Nobody driving down the street could tell it was a toy gun, so that's where the panic comes in. We charge that to anyone doing that,'' Lt. Robert Poli said.
''We're not going to tolerate anyone walking down the street, sitting on a bench ... if he's waving a gun around,'' Poli said. ''You don't know it's a toy gun.''
Saunders said police were not even going to come inside the cosmetology institute to tell her they were arresting her son. She said she learned from another woman her son was being arrested.
Saunders, wearing curlers in her hair, said she raced out to the police car to attempt to intervene on her son's behalf.
''He (Novosielski) snatched me by the arm and cuffed me. People were just walking down the street shaking their heads. I did not cuss at him, and I did not yell at him, because I'm not that type of person. I feel I'm the one that was disrespected,'' Saunders said of her arrest.
When informed her son was being arrested, Saunders attempted to pull her son away from the officer but moved away when told to, according to the report.
Police said Saunders pleaded with them not to arrest her son and to ''just give him a warning,'' according to the report. She also told police her son ''was just playing'' and that he didn't point the gun at anyone before asking police, ''Don't you have anything better to do?''
Saunders was eventually arrested after refusing to move away from the cruiser where her son had been placed, the report said. The officer told her to finish her business at the beauty salon and then come to the station to pick up her son, according to the report.
She is free on $750 bond and is scheduled to appear in Lorain Municipal Court today. The report of Thomas' arrest was forwarded to the juvenile court system, according to the police report.
Lorain County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Mark Hastings said the report had not been received yet. |
|
TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; donutwatch; pigs; toygun
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To: Iconoclast2
I don't know, more and more places are getting allowing people to carry guns around; even the Secret Service let a guy go yesterday who was getting to close to one of the daughter Bushes. He was packed and had ammo in the car.... although the liberal pukes are trying, they can't succeed because in America nobody is willing to give up any right to anything.
21
posted on
10/29/2003 12:57:51 AM PST
by
Porterville
(American First, Human being Second; liberal your derivative lifestyle will never be normalized.)
To: ambrose
When the "left" called the cops "pigs" in the 60's they were wrong, then.
This behavior is no longer isolated to "funny" stuff like this story, but includes "accidental" killings on drug busts, almost on a daily basis.
I think we all were asking for this all along.
PS: The original definition of SWAT was Special Weapons Attack Team.
22
posted on
10/29/2003 1:09:33 AM PST
by
ido_now
To: ambrose
This "police officer" needs to be fired and then varred from any occupation that may come into contact with minors. He's an absolute idiot. This should have been a very stern lecturing on why you do not remove or paint the orange or red pieces on toy guns and possibly even confiscating said toy gun long enough to paint the front orange or red.
23
posted on
10/29/2003 1:37:25 AM PST
by
zx2dragon
(I could never again be an angel... Innocence, once lost, can never be regained.)
To: BulletBobCo
Do you have a lie sans for that minkee?
24
posted on
10/29/2003 2:23:04 AM PST
by
battlegearboat
(Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?)
To: ambrose
An officer aimed his weapon at the boy's head, ordered him to the ground, handcuffed him and arrested him for juvenile delinquency by reason of inducing panic, according to the police report. Scumbag cop ...... jerks like this make the rest of the police force look like crap.
Granted there are good ones but they are getting rare.
25
posted on
10/29/2003 2:27:05 AM PST
by
Centurion2000
(Virtue untested is innocence)
To: zx2dragon
This should have been a very stern lecturing on why you do not remove or paint the orange or red pieces on toy guns and possibly even confiscating said toy gun long enough to paint the front orange or red. As though real guns somehow magically refuse to let themselves be likewise painted?
To: Ruth A.
Land of the Free, eh?
I´d love to read the comments if that had happened in Europe... ;-)
To: ambrose
''Don't you have anything better to do?''Tell it to the judge lady ! Pay the clerk on the way out. /sarcasm
Sheesh. I'm thinking back to when I was a kid, we played "cops & robbers", "cowboys & indians", "army" or "war".
We actually had caps too!
We would have wound up on death row for those "crimes"!
28
posted on
10/29/2003 2:41:28 AM PST
by
csvset
To: csvset
Those cops will have a field day come Halloween.
To: csvset; Squantos; Travis McGee; AAABEST; Lion Den Dan; Joe Brower; Sir Gawain; sit-rep; ...
Can you even buy a cap gun anymore?
This incident shows the level the LEO commnity has sunk to. No common sense at all. Why didn't the cop tell the kid to put the gun away and quit frightening people? Then stick his head in the beauty shop and tell the same to mom.
I guess the next time I empty the gun locker to the picnic table in the back yard (enclosed by trees) for a mass wipe down and cleaning I need to be ready for the E'town SWAT team.
30
posted on
10/29/2003 2:54:15 AM PST
by
SLB
("We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." C. S. Lewis)
To: csvset
>>Sheesh. I'm thinking back to when I was a kid, we played "cops & robbers", "cowboys & indians", "army" or "war".
Heck, we had bandoliers of belted .308 brass on links, plus our toy guns. So we were beyond toy guns, beyond full auto toy guns, and into BELT FED toy guns. And were playing war on an Army post, to boot.
If you were really cool, you had enough brass and links for two bandoliers, so you could put one on each shoulder, crossed across your chest, Mexican bandito style.
31
posted on
10/29/2003 2:58:07 AM PST
by
FreedomPoster
(this space intentionally blank)
To: ambrose
One can only admire the restraint exhibited by the police officer in not taking advantage of his opportunity to add a noch to his pistol grip Had he shot the boy he would have been awarded a paid vacation by his employer while the circumstances were investigated and would return refreshed to his duties to the congratulations of the Department for doint the right thing.
32
posted on
10/29/2003 2:59:25 AM PST
by
ThanhPhero
(Cac nguoi nen tham Cam Duc dep..)
To: SLB
>>I need to be ready for the E'town SWAT team.
I finished high school (1-1/2) years at E-town, after 3-1/2 years at Fort Knox Dependant Schools. So I'm familiar with E-town. That's a scary thought.
33
posted on
10/29/2003 3:00:06 AM PST
by
FreedomPoster
(this space intentionally blank)
To: FreedomPoster; Squantos; Lion Den Dan; sit-rep
Thought you might like to see their web page. Maybe drop someone there a note about what kind of idiots they are.
http://www.lorainpolice.com/contact/ SR - you be careful when traveling through that country.
34
posted on
10/29/2003 3:04:42 AM PST
by
SLB
("We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." C. S. Lewis)
To: SLB
This incident shows the level the LEO commnity has sunk to. No common sense at all. Sorry to say this, but the fact is that most street cops are stupid, out of shape, have emotional problems or all of the above. I've met many that were bright and had it together, but they are a minority and such types don't thrive well in such an occupation. They either become detectives or join Free Republic.
35
posted on
10/29/2003 3:09:12 AM PST
by
AAABEST
To: AAABEST
I realized I stereotyped with the comment. I have a new neighbor who is a KSP (Kentucky State Police) trooper. Seems to have his head screwed on at least mostly straight from talking to him.
36
posted on
10/29/2003 3:15:20 AM PST
by
SLB
("We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." C. S. Lewis)
To: ambrose
This woman and her son need the help of a Second Amendment foundation to provide well funded legal services. Otherwise, she will be induced to plead guilty, get a permanent record, and her son will be put under social services oversight for reeducation.
Anone have any suggestions and how to get information to her?
37
posted on
10/29/2003 3:30:15 AM PST
by
Truth29
To: exit82

A kid with a gun? Where???? I'll teach him a lesson.
38
posted on
10/29/2003 3:37:36 AM PST
by
machman
To: ambrose
This story reads like a plot for Reno 911; Comedy Central's parody of Fox's COPS.
I'll send Comedy Central a link to this story. Perhaps they can use it in a future episode.
39
posted on
10/29/2003 3:37:41 AM PST
by
csvset
To: TXFireman
ping
40
posted on
10/29/2003 3:46:03 AM PST
by
Jonx6
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